Browse Books

Reviewer: David Bellin

Thanks to the deliberations of a large committee, and the subsequent editorial vetting process, this book offers many benefits, and much information. It is the report of a committee convened by the National Academy of Sciences to address the intersection of information technology (IT) with the arts. After a lengthy executive summary, the first chapter presents an overview of the domains and practices of IT, productivity, and creativity. The next chapter attempts to describe the creative process, both in the arts and in the sciences. Collaborations are described in video gaming, movies, and architecture. There is a provocative, if short, section on preconceived notions in both domains. Chapter 3 describes what is seen as a toolset of creative practices that might be advanced through the use of information technology. The focus is that set of areas considered to be most promising: distributed control, sensors and actuators, video and audio, and generative processes. Three more areas are mentioned: programming languages, tool design and human-computer interfaces, and "reliable, low-latency communications over the Internet." Chapter 4 surveys the influences of art and design on computer science research and development, and is followed by a more detailed chapter on common venues for the interaction of IT and creative work. The remaining chapters are devoted to detailing the manners in which academic settings might be designed to facilitate such interactions, the institutional and public policy issues that arise thereby, and, generally, how funding might best be used to support this work in the future. This book may be best viewed as a handbook and sourcebook for those wishing to think about the issues addressed. For example, the Ghostcatching collaboration, with choreographer Bill T. Jones, is described in some detail, and should be of interest to Computing Reviews readers (http://www.cooper.edu/art/ghostcatching/ghost/exhibit.html). Other topics of interest are the proposed mixed-greens business model for extension into the creative arts (http://www.mixedgreens.com), and the nonacademic work of the "burning man" annual event in the Nevada desert (http://www.burningman.com). A final item readers might take note of is the work at the Georgia Institute of Technology. It is unusual for the National Academies to venture so far afield, and into such an uncommon topical area. They, and the committee, have produced a useful document. Online Computing Reviews Service